Examining the Bible Scriptures Daily,
Such instructions gave Jesus ‘the tongue of the taught ones’ so that he would ‘know how to answer the tired one with a word.’ (Isa. 30:20; 50:4; Matt. 11:28-30) Being awakened to timely counsel from the Word of God each morning will not only help you to cope with your own problems but also equip you with ‘the tongue of the taught ones’ to help others.”

Pages

Friday, January 6, 2012

Are We Living in the Last Days?

THE phrase “critical times hard to deal with” is translated from the Greek kai‧roi′ kha‧le‧poi′. (2 Timothy 3:1) The word kha‧le‧poi′ is the plural of a word that literally means “fierce” and carries the thought of menace and danger. One Bible commentator says the word refers to a “tremendous assault of evil.”

Therefore, while previous eras experienced turmoil, “the last days” would be extraordinarily savage. As 2 Timothy 3:13 puts it, “wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse.”
Does this describe our day? Let us analyze some specific evidences recorded at 2 Timothy 3:2-5 to see if these indicate that we are living in the last days.

“Men will be . . . lovers of money.”—2 Timothy 3:2.

Fraud has become, as U.S.News & World Report calls it, “an orgy of economic crime.” In the United States, the toll of health-care fraud alone hovers between $50 billion and $80 billion annually. Sadly, such dishonesty is typical. As Gary Edwards, president of the Ethics Resource Center observes, we have “a culture that sometimes celebrates dishonesty.” He explains: “We make heroes of villains, people who are politicians, business people who rip the system off and get away with it.”

“Haughty.”—2 Timothy 3:2.

The haughty person looks upon others with contempt. How evident this is in racial and national prejudice today! “All minorities are targets,” says The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Canada. “Racial violence is on the rise in Germany, the Ku Klux Klan is active in the United States and swastikas deface Toronto sidewalks and synagogues.” Irving Abella, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress, says: “We’re seeing it everywhere: in Sweden, Italy, Holland and Belgium as well as Germany.”

“Disobedient to parents.”—2 Timothy 3:2.

“The baby boomers are being credited by many with raising a generation of mouthy, confrontational, disrespectful brats,” notes The Toronto Star. Rebelliousness that starts at home often spills over into school. One teacher observes that children as young as age four talk back. “Teachers spend more time dealing with behavior than they do teaching,” she says. Of course, not all youths are rebellious. However, “as a trend,” notes veteran high-school teacher Bruce MacGregor, “they seem to have very little respect for anything.”

“Having no natural affection.”—2 Timothy 3:3.

The last days would see a marked deterioration in the family—where, more than anywhere else, natural affection should prevail. The New York Times reports that “domestic violence is the leading cause of injury and death to American women, causing more harm than vehicular accidents, rapes and muggings combined.” Most child molestation is perpetrated by trusted family members. The high divorce rate, the abuse of the elderly, and abortion also give evidence that many are “utterly lacking in . . . normal human affections.”—Phillips.

“Fierce, without love of goodness.”—2 Timothy 3:3.

“Young killers don’t need much in the way of motives,” writes newspaper columnist Bob Herbert. “Large numbers of kids have enthusiastically embraced the concept of blowing away another human being ‘just for whatever.’” Even some parents seem to lack moral sensitivity. When a group of teenage boys were accused of competitively racking up points for having sex with as many girls as possible, one father commented: “Nothing my boy did was anything any red-blooded American boy wouldn’t do at his age.”

“Lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.”—2 Timothy 3:4.

According to one estimate, teenagers spend 15 hours with electronic media for every hour spent with a religious group. “Today,” reports the Altoona Mirror, “the media-driven culture that thrives in shopping malls and school hallways dominates teen life. Then comes the family. At the end of the list [is] the church.” The Mirror also observes, “if parents are absent, and churches silent, then the media are the loudest voices in the lives of young people.”

“Having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power.”—2 Timothy 3:5.

Bible truth has the power to change lives. (Ephesians 4:22-24) But some of the most ungodly acts take place under the veil of religion. A tragic example is the sexual abuse of children by the clergy. According to The New York Times, a lawyer in the United States “says he has 200 cases pending in 27 states on behalf of clients who say they were molested by priests.” Truly, any form or pretense of godly devotion these clergymen display is exposed as mere hypocrisy by their wicked works.

FURTHER EVIDENCES OF THE LAST DAYS2 TIMOTHY 3:2-4 STATES ALSO THAT MEN WILL BE . . .